This past weekend, the tech-savvy group Anonymous protested Canada Goose jackets on Dundas Square in Toronto. They provided graphic videos and handed out pamphlets detailing the barbaric way in which Canada Goose retrieves the fur they use to decorate their winter jackets. Canada Goose has come under fire because videos have surfaced of coyotes being caught in traps, being shot in the head and eventually skinned all to provide a warm neck surface for the consumer.

The jackets are immensely popular and therefore gain strong defending from their supporters. An argument I read against the protest was essentially the following: ‘I was just yelled at for wearing my Canada Goose jacket while that person was wearing an outfit that was probably made by a child laborer in China and drinking coffee that had its beans retrieved by an impoverished child in South America. Hypocrites #Justletmelive.’

This individual is likely correct in his/her assessment of the other’s wardrobe and origins of their beverage. Sweatshops still exist and are still operated by some of the biggest suppliers in the world. Ditto for the coffee. But that provides little justification to completely excuse Canada Goose of their business strategies.

While sweatshops are unfortunately located in countries where we have little to no influence on labor laws, the same cannot be said for Canada Goose. This is the home of the strong and free remember? Canada Goose is a CANADIAN company that is trapping and killing defenseless coyotes daily. The details and the videos are graphic and upsetting, but if you wish to see/hear, visit the PETA website. Although sweatshops are dehumanizing and unethical, they are not killing grounds. These children are not murdered or have their legs locked in traps. These animals are. The Canada Goose headquarters is in Toronto, not in Beijing or another country where a Canadian voice does not register the way it can in North America.

What’s ignorant from this post is that we are provided with a plethora of other alternatives to Canada Goose. Faux fur and materials that are proven to be as warm as real animal fur. Folks, it’s a no-brainer. The idea of having a dead animal draped around your shoulders is as dated as smoking in a restaurant or consuming alcohol while pregnant. Canada Goose is a company that treats animals as creatures incapable of feeling pain, which is tragically not the case.

Visit PETA for more information on why Canada Goose should not be purchased. It’s worth a Google search.